Rivet installing tool



Oct. 1, 1963 w. BELL 3,105,605

RIVET INSTALLING TOOL Filed April 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l INV EN TOR. WA L 752 55L L Arraew/ak Oct. 1, 1963 w. BELL 3,105,605

RIVET INSTALLING TOOL Y Filed April 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. W44 r52 62-44 United States Patent Oflice 3,195,695. Patented Oct. 1, 1963 3,105,605 RIVET INSTALLING TOOL Walter Bell, Monroe, N.Y., assignor to Star Expansion Industries Corporation, Mountainville, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 102,450, 11 Claims. (Cl. 218-19) This invention relates generally to the art of riveting and is particularly concerned with a combination riveting and drilling tool as well as with the rivets which may be installed thereby.

The art of disposing a rivet in its installed position requires the formation of an aperture in the workpiece followed by the reception of a rivet therein and the securing of same in its fastened position as, for example, by expanding a portion of the rivet. For these purposes, it has been customary to utilize means for drilling said aperture and then to employ one or more separate riveting tools for securing in fastened position a rivet disposed in the drilled aperture. Such a procedure is time consuming and cumbersome in its requirement for a multiplicity of consecutively applied tools. It will also be noted that conventional rivets are often marketed in containers wherein they are distributed in a random manner. Such rivets are customarily disposed by hand Within the abovementioned drilled apertures, thereby adding to the time required for the riveting operation. Moreover, the instruments employed for such riveting are often bulky, unduly heavy and not readily portable. The present invention overcomes these difliculties in a simple and ingenious manner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a combination riveting and drilling tool which incorporates means for sequentially feeding a plurality of rivets into a position from whence they may be riveted within apertures formed by said tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination riveting and drilling tool of the character indicated which is compact and easily portable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for holding a plurality of rivets in an easily manipulable form adapted for integration and with the operations of said combination riveting and drilling tool.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of assembling said rivets in the form referred to in the last-described object of the invention.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a drilling tool having improved means for driving and operating a riveting assembly incorporated therewith.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a rivet of improved construction.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description as read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of said embodiment of the invention taken about the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an auxiliary view of said embodiment of the invention taken about the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view depicting the sprocket wheel and impact cam employed in said embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken about the line 55 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken about the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3, wherein a rivet is aligned with the impact shaft employed in said embodiment of the invention and the said impact shaft is not operatively engaged with the aforesaid impact cam;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to that of FIGURE 6 but depicting the impact shaft in a raised position wherein it is operatively engageable by the impact cam;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to that of a portion of FIGURE 7 but depicting the impact shaft in a position wherein it is operatively engaged by the impact cam;

FIGURE 9 is a view showing a rivet which has been completely installed;

FIGURE 10 is an elevational view depicting a series of steps in assembling a rivet in a ribbon suitable for reception by the aforesaid embodiment of the invention;

FIGURES 11 and 12 are fragmentary views of the said ribbon containing a plurality of rivets;

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View similar to that of a portion of FIGURE 6 but depicting a modified form of the invention; and

FIGURE 14 is a view taken about the line 14-14 of FIGURE 13.

Throughout the various views in the drawings, similar parts are indicated by similar numerals.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the present invention is incorporated in a portable, motorized hand drill which is equipped with riveting means drivably connected with the drive shaft employed by said motorized hand drill and utilizing a ribbon wherein a plurality of rivets are sequentially disposed in drive position. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, one embodiment of the invention comprises a motorized hand drill including a frame or casing 20' housing a motor operable by a trigger 21 disposed adjacent to a handle 22 according to conventional practice. Said casing 20 also houses a rotatable drive sprocket 23 mounted upon a shaft 24 driven by the motor housed within the casing 20, said driven shaft 24 also driving a chuck 25 engageable with a drill 26 in the conventional manner.

The drive sprocket 23' is provided with a chain 27 engaged with a driven sprocket 29 rotatably secured upon a shaft 30 provided in a bore 3-1 disposed parallel to the axis of the chuck 25. Said bore 31 is formed in a vertical face 32a of a flange generally designated by the numeral 32, said flange being formed integrally with or attached to the casing 2t} and the handle 22.

The chain 27, the driven sprocket 29' and the drive sprocket 23 are housed within a cowling 33 fastened, as by one or more screws 34- to said flange 32.

The driven sprocket 29 is secured to an impact cam, generally designated by the numeral 35, said impact cam also being rotatably mounted upon the shaft 36*. This impact cam 35 is an important feature of the present invention and is characterized by a tapered annular surface 36 formed with a pair of diametrically opposed lobes 37. As will be hereinafter set forth, these lobes 37 are responsible for delivering a series of impacts which are delivered to the head of a rivet so as to install it in its intended position.

The impact cam 35, as well as the driven sprocket 29, are rotatable within a slot 39 formed transversely of the flange 32, said impact cam 35 and sprocket 29 being spaced from the sides of the slot 39 by collars 41 and 41a. The shaft 30 fits tightly within the bore 31 and is retained against rotation in said bore 31v by means of a vertical set screw 38 provided in the flange 32. However, when withdrawal of said shaft 30 is desired, as, for example, when it is desired to remove the driven sprocket 29 and impact cam 35, such Withdrawal may be accomplished with the aid of a threaded aperture 40 formed axially in said shaft 30-, the aforesaid set screw 38 having been previously withdrawn from contact with the shaft 30. The aperture 40 may be engaged by an externally threaded member (not shown), thereby permitting re- 3 moval of the shaft 30 from the flange 32 upon the exertion of an axial pull upon said externally threaded member.

As may be seen in FIGURES l and 6 of the drawings, the flange 32 is provided with a vertical face 32a disposed intermedi'ately of upper and lower inclined faces, designated respectively by the numerals 32b and 320.

The lower face 320 is threadedly engaged with two pair of screws 42, 43, whose heads 42a, 43a are spaced from the surface of the lower face 320 and around whose shanks are coiled a pair of compression springs 44. The compression spring 44 are seated upon the lower face 320 and yieldably urge a generally U-shaped yoke 45 towards a position spaced apart from the lower face 32c,

. said yoke 45 being provided with a pair of laterally extending flanges 46, 46a contactable with the compression springs 44 and urgeable thereby into abutment with the heads 42a, 43a of the screws 42, 43.

Such abutment determines the aforesaid spaced-apart position of the yoke 45. Said yoke 45 is provided with a body 45a disposed intermediately of :a pair of arms 45b, 45c disposed perpendicularly with respect to said body and communicating with the aforesaid flanges 46, 46a. A thin facing 47 of rubber or other yieldable material is secured to the outer surface of the body 45a.

As may be best seen in FIGURES 2, 3, 6 and 7, the body 45a and the arm 45b are provided with an elongated slot 43 adapted to receive a rivet, generally designated 50.

A springable tongue 51 provided with a lip 52 is se cured upon one of the laterally extending flanges 46a by one of the pairs of screws 43, the said-lip 52 receiving the shanks of the screws 43 and being disposed between their heads 43a and said flange 46a. The tongue 51 is provided with a slot 53 wherein an expander pin 54 of said rivet 50 is receivable. The tongue 51 is also provided with a tapered end portion 55 which projects through a slot 56 formed in the arm 450 of the yoke 45.

A ribbon 57 carrying a plurality of rivets 50, in the manner hereinafter described, is receivable between said tongue 51 and the body 45a of the yoke 45, said ribbon 57 being disposable through the slots 48 and 56.

The ribbon 57 is guided by a track 59 which is characterized by a guide channel 64) having an inverted U- shaped conformation and providing with a pair of late-rally extending flanges 61 and a pair of walls 62 depending vertically from the ends of the flanges 6-1. The web 60a of the guide channel 60 is secured to the flange 32 by means of a hanger 63 fastened to said flange 32, as by a screw 64, and an upright arm 65 fastened to said flange 32, as by a screw 66.

The expander pins 54 of the aforesaid rivets 50 are slidably receivable upon the laterally extending flanges 61 and between the walls 62 of the (track 59. The heads 5% of the rivets 50 supported by the ribbon 57 are also movable between the said walls 62.

Adjacent to the slot 48, the track :59 has a bifurcated conformation, the laterally extending flanges 61 curving upwardly as at 61a and terminating in the vicinity of said slot 48.

As shown in FIGURE 5 of the drawings, the ribbon 57 may be affixed to the track 59 by a clamp having a lower :arm 69 provided with a raised jaw 70 engageable with said ribbon, said lower arm 69 being provided with a pair of upright members 71 which pivotably support an upper arm 72 provided with a jaw 73 having an. inverted U-shaped conformation and engageable with the guide channel 60, the said arms 69, 72 being urged into en gagement with said ribbon 57 and guide channel 60 by a compression spring 74 seated upon said arms 69, 72.

The ribbon together with rivets may be slid forward so as to dispose a rivet 50 within the body a of the yoke 45, as depicted in FIGURES 1, 2. and 3 of the drawings, the ribbon being kept properly in its track by the action of spring 74 and by springable tongue 51.

More specifically, it will be noted that flange 32 is provided with a passageway 120 (FIG. 6) through which the track 62 extends for passage of the ribbon 57 therethrough so as to move the pin 54 therethrough. The forward end of the ribbon 57 is resiliently pressed against the yoke body 45a by the tongue 51. After the foremost pin is removed from the ribbon, as hereinafter described in detail, the end of ribbon 57 projecting beyond tongue 51 is pulled so as to move the succeeding pin into the position shown in FIG. 6. the advance of the ribbon along track 62, the arms of the clamp are pressed together so as to allow for :a concomittant movement of the clamp along the track, it being understood that the portion of the ribbon to the left of the clamp, viewing FIGURE 1, is not in the track but falls from the left side of the clamp, unless the ma- URE 5. When the clamp is released, as by manual depression of the upper arm 72 with respect to the lower arm 69 and compression of the spring 74, the ribbon 57 may be removed or a new one installed.

In this position, the rivet 50 is axially aligned with an.

inclined impact shaft 75 which is slidably received in a bushing 76 disposed perpendicularly to the inclined face 320 of the flange 32. The bushing 76 is secured within the flange 32 by a tangent pin 77 and communicates between lthe inclined face 32c of the flange 32 and a depressed area 79 provided in a portion of said flange 32 adjacent to the slot 39. The head 80 of said impact shaft 75 is abuttable in supporting contact with the upper end 76a of the bushing 76, as shown in FIGURE 6. In this position, the impact shaft 75 is axially abuttable with the face 81 of the expander pin 54 received in the body 45a of the yoke 45 but the head 80 of the impact shaft 75 clears the lobes 37 of the impact cam 35.

The installation of the rivet 50 positioned in the body 45a of the yoke 45, as aforesaid, is accomplished in the following manner:

The drill 26 is first employed to form an aperture 82 in a workpiece which may include a plurality of sheet metal panels 83, 84. The body 50a of the rivet 50 disposed within the yoke 45 is then inserted within the apertures 82 and the yoke 45 is depressed, as by bringing its rubber facing 47 into contact with the marginal area of the workpiece surrounding the aperture 82, and manually exerting by way of the handle 22 a compressive pressure in a direction perpendicular to the inclined face a This depressed position is depicted the casing 20, thereby rotating the drive sprocket 23, the

chain 27 and the driven sprocket 29 secured to the impact cam 35. Such rotation of the impact cam 35 permits its lobes 37 to deliver a series of blows to the head 80 of the impact shaft 75 thereby forcing the expander pin 54 into the body 50a of the rivet 50 so as to expand said body and secure the rivet 59 within the workpiece, depicted in FIGURE 8. During this operation, thesun face of the workpiece is protected from marring by the yoke 45 by means of the rubber facing 47 which is interposed between said yoke 45 and the workpiece.

The lobes. 37 are permitted to deliver their blows to the head 80 of the impact shaft 75 until the expander pin 54 is driven flush with the rivet head 50b, as depicted in FIGURE 9, at which time the lobes 37 will clear the im- In order to allow for i pact shaft 75 and the rivet body 50a will be fully expanded in its installed position in the workpiece. Upon such installation, the yoke 45 is withdrawn from the workpiece, thereby permitting the springs 44 to urge it outwardly into abutment with the heads 42a, 43a of the screws 42, 43.

The ribbon 57 is then removed from its connection with the installed rivet by the act of lifting the tool from the installed rivet and the ribbon is moved so as to align the next rivet carried thereby with the imp-act shaft 75, thereby permitting a repetition of the above-described rivet installing operation.

A modified form of the invention which facilitates removal of the ribbon 57 from the installed rivet is depicted in FIGURES 13 and 14. As shown in these figures, each rivet 50 supported by the ribbon 57 is alignable with the inclined impact shaft 75 in the manner previously described, the ribbon 57 being supported by the body 45a of the depressible yoke 45.

However, in this modified form of the invention, the ribbon 57 is seated upon a springable tongue 100 which is provided with a centrally disposed axial extension 101 depressible within a slot 102 provided in an inclined finger 103 depending from the vertical face 32a, the said inclined finger 163 being secured :to said vertical face 32a, as by threaded members 104.

The flange 46 of the yoke 45 is abuttable against an inner face 103m of said inclined finger 103 when said yoke 45 is in its outermost position.

When the yoke 45 is depressed in the manner previously described, the ribbon 57 is subjected to a shearing action by the movement of the arm 450 of the yoke 45 in relation to the inclined finger 103, said inclined finger 103 presenting a surface 103]) adjacent and parallel to the arm 4-50.

The slot 102 receives the axial extension 101 of the springable tongue 100 thereby avoiding any interference between said axial extension 101 and adjacent structures during the depression of the yoke 45.

Upon such depression, it will be seen that the abovementioned shearing action notches opposing sides of the ribbon 57, as at 110, 110a, thereby commencing tearing of the said ribbon and permitting the user to complete the removal thereof, as desired, with a minimum of effort. More specifically, it will be noted from FIG. 14 that the ribbon 57, which is wider than the slot 102, is narrower than the widthwise dimension of finger 103 at the outer end of surface *103b. Consequently, inward movement of the ribbon in the direction of surface 1031: will result in the formation of said notches at the bottom of slot 102 at said surface.

The axial extension 101 also serves to guide the remaining portion of the ribbon 57 when it is moved forward for alignment of subsequent rivets after installation of each rivet by the impact shaft 75.

As may be seen in FIGURE of the drawings, the rivets 50 are assembled in the ribbon 57 in the following manner:

Thus, to assemble each rivet in the ribbon 57, it is first necessary to form a circular aperture 90 therein, as by means of a cylindrical member 91 which punches out a circular portion 57a from the ribbon 57 and disposes it donwwardly into the vicinity of -a tapered aperture 92 in a member 53 which supports the surrounding portions of the ribbon 57, the said tapered aperture 92 in a member 93 which supports [the surrounding portions of the ribbon 57, the said tapered aperture 92 permitting further removal of the circular portion 57a, as by gravity.

The cylindrical member 91 is then removed from the aperture 9% and an expander pin 54 inserted in said circular aperture 95. The shank 54a of the expander pin is then dipped within an adhesive 95, such as a liquid plastic bonding agent, disposed in a container 96. The said shank 54a is then Withdrawn from the container 96 and a rivet body 5001 is disposed upwardly upon the shank 54a, the rivet head 50b being brought into contact with a quantity of the adhesive upon the said shank 54a and disposing said quantity of adhesive 95 into contact with the lower surface 57a of the ribbon, as at 95a. The adhesive is then permitted to set, as at 95b, thereby suspending the rivet head 50b from the ribbon 57, the position of the expander pin 54- within the rivet body 50a also being determined by the setting of said adhesive. The aforesaid assembly of the rivet within the ribbon 57 may be repeated, as desired, thereby exposing a series of expander pins 54 in sequence on one side of the ribbon 57, as appears in FIGURE 11, the bodies 50a of the rivets being disposed upon the other side of said ribbon 57 in correspondence with the sequence of the expander pins 54, as appears in FIGURE 12.

The ribbon 57 may be composed of paper or other flexible, easily tearable material.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated and described hereinabove has been selected for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principles involved. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention is susceptible to being modified in respect to details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a hand drill mounted in a frame and adapted to form an aperture adapted to receive rivets and having motorized means for driving said drill, that improvement which comprises means operable by said motorized means for driving an impact cam housed in said frame, an impact shaft operable by said cam, and means for positioning a rivet in alignment with said impact shaft whereby a series of impacts may be transmitted by said impact cam through said impact shaft to the said rivet, said means for positioning a rivet in alignment with said impact shaft comprising a yoke provided with a slot adapted to receive an expander pin provided in said rivet, the said yoke being yieldably biased by spring means to a spaced position with respect to said flange, the said yoke being depressible against the bias of said spring means to bring each said expander pin into abutment with said impact shaft and raise said impact shaft to a position wherein its head portion is contactable with the impact cam.

2. In a device according to claim 1, the said yoke including a pair of laterally extending flanges formed integrally with a pair of arms disposed perpendicularly with respect to an intermediate body, the said body and one of said arms being provided with a slot for reception of expander pin, the said spring means being seated against an inclined face provided upon said flange abutting against said laterally extending flanges of said yoke to urge said yoke in said spaced position with respect to said flange.

3. In a device according to claim 2, the said intermediate body being provided with a facing of padding material.

4. In a device according to claim 1, each said rivet being mounted in a ribbon projectable through a slot formed in the other of said yoke arms, the said ribbon being secured within said yoke by a springable tongue biased into contact with said ribbon and provided with a lip supported upon one of said laterally extending flanges.

5. In a device according to claim 3, each of the said laterally extending flanges being provided with a pair of screws threadedly engaged with the said flange, the heads of said screws being in a spaced relation with respect to said flange, the heads of one pair of said screws securing the said lip of said springable tongue.

6. In a device according to claim 3, the said flange supporting a track, the said ribbon being movably disposable within said track, for movement of the rivet therealong for reception in the said yoke.

7. In a device according to claim 5, the said track being characterized by a guide channel provided with a pair of offset flanges and a pair of Walls depending from said offset flanges, the said walls being adapted to receive the said ribbon when it is slidably disposed upon said offset flanges, the said guide channel being adapted to receive a plurality of aligned expander pins secured in rivets provided in said ribbon.

8. In a device according to claim 7, the said track being provided with clamping means contactable with said ribbon to secure it within said track.

9. In a device according to claim 3, the said springable tongue being provided with an axial extension disposable within a .slot provided upon a finger depending from the said flange, the said axial extension being depressed within said slo t upon depression of said yoke, the said ribbon being subjected to a shearing action exterted by adjacent surfaces of said yoke and said finger, when said yoke is depressed, whereby the said ribbon is tom.

10. An impact tool for forcing an expander pin into a rivet body, and means for mounting a strip provided with paired rivet bodies and expander pins in juxtaposition with said tool whereby each paired pin and body may be positioned in alignment with said tool, means for imparting impact blows to said tool, and means to space said tool from said impact imparting means when said 8 pin has been driven a predetermined distance into said body. 1

11. An impact tool for forcing an expander pin into a rivet body, means for mounting a rivet body and an expander pin therefor in alignment with said tool, means for imparting impact blows to said tool, and means to space said tool from said impact imparting means whensaid pin has been driven a predetermined distance into said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,147,382 Elliott July 20, 1915 1,273,873 Kollock July 30, 1918. 1,239,136 Elliott Dec. 31, 1918 1,295,141 Elliott Feb. 25, 1919 1,721,279 Peck July 16, 1929 2,171,029 Geldhof Aug. 29, 1939 2,560,520 Berkson July 10, 1951 2,691,915 Cherry Oct. 19, 954 2,784,405 Working Mar. 12, 1957 2,795,989 Koenig June 18, 1957 2,934,234 Bisbing Apr. 26, 1960 

1. IN A HAND DRILL MOUNTED IN A FRAME AND ADAPTED TO FORM AN APERTURE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE RIVETS AND HAVING MOTORIZED MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID DRILL, THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MEANS OPERABLE BY SAID MOTORIZED MEANS FOR DRIVING AN IMPACT CAM HOUSED IN SAID FRAME, AN IMPACT SHAFT OPERABLE BY SAID CAM, AND MEANS FOR POSITIONING A RIVET IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID IMPACT SHAFT WHEREBY A SERIES OF IMPACTS MAY BE TRANSMITTED BY SAID IMPACT CAM THROUGH SAID IMPACT SHAFT TO THE SAID RIVET, SAID MEANS FOR POSITIONING A RIVET IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID IMPACT SHAFT COMPRISING A YOKE PROVIDED WITH A SLOT ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN EXPANDER PIN PROVIDED IN SAID RIVET, THE SAID YOKE BEING YIELDABLY BIASED BY SPRING MEANS TO A SPACED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID FLANGE, THE SAID YOKE BEING DEPRESSIBLE AGAINST THE BIAS OF SAID SPRING MEANS TO BRING EACH SAID EXPANDER PIN INTO ABUTMENT WITH SAID IMPACT SHAFT AND RAISE SAID IMPACT SHAFT TO A POSITION WHEREIN ITS HEAD PORTION IS CONTACTABLE WITH THE IMPACT CAM. 